Everyday story of abused country folk: How The Archers became a touchstone for domestic violence

Fans of The Archers left in shock by a hard-hitting storyline about domestic violence that ended in murder have raised nearly £100,000 in a “rescue fund” for the abused wife who became a killer.

The BBC Radio 4 soap began trending on Twitter after Sunday’s shocking episode, which saw Helen Titchener stab her abusive husband Rob in front of her young son Henry.

In a dramatic climax to the powerful storyline, which has been praised highlighting middle-class domestic abuse in rural Yorkshire, she had told Rob she was planning to leave him because of his controlling behaviour, which included dictating what she could wear, keeping tabs on where she was at all times, and marital rape.

But erupting into a fury, Rob handed Helen a kitchen knife, saying it was her “only way out” and she stabbed him in the tussle that ensued.

Following the episode a flood of listeners donated to The Helen Titchener Rescue Fund - a JustGiving page set up to raise money for the domestic violence charity Refuge.

More than £88,000 has been raised so far, just short of the £100,000 target.

Fans of the show told of their shock and sympathy for Helen on Twitter, with one eminent QC saying he would be “more than prepared” to represent her at court.

Timothy Kirkhope, the Conservative MEP for Yorkshire and The Humber wrote: “At last, Helen has cracked and turned on Rob in the Archers. Massive sympathy all round.”

Nigel Pascoe QC wrote: “I know we are not allowed to tout, but I am more than prepared to represent Helen, along with most of the criminal bar.”

Another listener, Rob Shepherd, wrote: “I must say also that the #archers Helen & Rob plot line is undoubtedly the best written longform drama for many, many years.”

Fans have been listening with growing horror as Helen has been psychologically bullied, raped and slapped by her controlling husband.

The daily soap, set in the genteel village of Ambridge and billed as “an everyday story of country folk”, usually focuses on the comings and goings of the farms and village shops.

The hard-hitting storyline has won widespread praise from charities who have credited the “Archers Effect” with helping to raise awareness that domestic abuse affects all sorts of people, including middle-class independent women in sleepy villages.

It coincides with the introduction of the new coercive controlling behaviour offence, which criminalises extreme psychological and emotional abuse which falls short of physical violence.

Last month the Press Association revealed that calls to the national domestic abuse helpline have soared by nearly a fifth in a year, fuelled in part by the soap’s storyline.

Refuge chief executive Sandra Horley said: “Refuge is as shocked as everyone else by the dramatic turn of events in The Archers on Sunday evening.

“Listeners do not know how this story will unfold. What they do know is that Helen obviously felt under threat from an aggressive man. Rob was behaving in a menacing way towards Helen’s son Henry, and in the melee that ensued, Rob suffered apparently fatal wounds.

“This episode tells us that a victim of prolonged abuse may one day fight back when she is in great danger.

“Helen’s situation mirrors what so many abused women feel and experience every day. It is important to remember that research shows an abused woman is at most risk at the point of separation.

“This storyline simply reflects the reality for many women today and I congratulate the script writers for highlighting a much ignored issue.”